Tool for facilitating the positioning of driving-shoes in driving-box bearings of locomotives



C. GUGGENBUEHLER.

TOOL FOR FACILITATING THE POSITIONING 0F DRIVING SHOES IN DRIVING BOX BEARINGS 0F LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1919.

Patented Jan. 6,1920. l

INVENTOR a: 4 QM ATTORNEY UNKTED TATE PATENT @FFICE.

CARL GUGGENBUEI-ILER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

TOOL FOR FACILITATING THE POSITIONING OF DRIVING-SHOES IN DRIVING-BOX BEARINGS OF LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed. June 23, 1919. Serial No. 305,951.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL GUGGENBUEHLER, a citizen of Germany, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tools for Facilitating the Positioning of Driving-Shoes in Driving- Box Bearings of Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference to tools for the adjustment of the driving shoes in the bearings of locomotives or the like relative to the driving boxes of the wheels.

In every locomotive the bearings of the driving boxes are equipped with driving shoes which serve the purpose to enable the fixing and the regulation of the wheel distance. When, in assembling the locomotive and its wheels or in case of necessary repairs, the wheels together with the driving boxes and shoes are removed "rom the locomotive, it is a very difficult and tedious work to insert the shoes into the bearings.

On lowering the locomotive onto the wheels and before passing the driving boxes into the bearings of the locomotive, it is necessary to insert the driving shoes. This work, according to the present methods, consumes considerable time and requires several men to do it. Usually the machinist with some assistants have to shift the wheels to and fro, right and left and use wedges and pump jacks to drive the shoes in until they, after hard work, finally succeed in bringing about the desired adjustment. Frequently the shoes which are of considerable weight, while being positioned accidentally drop out and injure the men who happen to work under the locomotive. There are four or six pairs of wheels on a locomotive and consequently eight or sixteen shoes and it usually takes ten hours to complete the work.

The object of my invention is to provide a tool which considerably facilitates and expedites the work and whereby injury to workmen will be avoided.

I accomplish my object by providing a device consisting substantially of a clamp, whereby, when the locomotive is raised from the wheels, the driving shoes are clamped in proper position in the bearings of the 10- comotive, so that when the locomotive is lowered onto the wheels the driving boxes will readily lodge themselves between the clamped driving shoes, without necessitating. any subsequent readjustments. After the positioning of the locomotives onto the wheels with the driving boxes lodged between the driving shoes the clamps are removed and replaced by the usual binder bars deslgned to support the driving boxes and shoes in position.

My invention also has other objects in view and also consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts as will appear from the detailed description and the appended claims. 4

In the accompanying drawing in which similar reference characters denote corresponding parts, Figure 1 illustrates a front elevation of a locomotive lifted from the wheels and having its driving shoes clamped in position in the bearings of the driving "boxes of the locomotive; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the bearing frame of the locomotive showing two of the driving shoes designed for one driving box clamped in position; Fig. 3 is a part of the bearing frame of the locomotive showing a driving box and the corresponding driving shoes properly positioned and supported by the usual binder bar after the removal of the clamp; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my new clamp; Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of one of the double threaded clamping nuts of my clamping device as used in connection with a screw bolt of a certain size; Fig. 7 shows the same as used in connection with a screw bolt of diiferent size and Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 3.

Referring specifically to the drawing (n denotes a locomotive which, in Fig. 1, is

shown lifted from the wheels I) and of which 0 denotes the frame provided with the bearings (l for the driving boxes e and the driving shoes f. As already pointed out are inserted between the frame and the driving boxes. This work as has been stated is very diflicult and tedious.

My invention consists in a tool for facilitating the assembling of the locomotive with the driving boxes and the driving shoes, so that the work can be accomplished more quickly and accidents avoided. The tool consists substantially of a clamp adapted to be temporarily applied to the lower edge of the bearing frame of the locomotive so as to engage the lower edge of a driving shoe inserted into said bearing and hold the same in position while the locomotive is lowered onto the wheels and the driving boxes are lodged in the bearings. My tool is designed to be used for a single shoe, and since from eight to about sixteen wheels are used, a corresponding number of clamps will be required.

In the present embodiment of my invention, the tool is in form of a staggered bar g, 2'. e. a bar bent vertically downwardly near one end as at g and then again horizontally as at 9 This double bend g, 9 corresponds to the usual shape of the lower edge of the bearing frame. The lower edge of the bearing frame usually carries a plurality of screw bolts h for the fastening of the binder bars 2' thereto, whereby the bearing boxes and shoes are fixed in position (Fig. 3). I utilize these bolts for the at tachment of my clamping bar 9. Since the distance between the bolts it varies with the size of the locomotive and in order to enable the application of my clamping bar to locomotives of various sizes, I provide the clamping bar with a longitudinal recess or slot 9 wide and long enough to permit all the screw bolts h at one side of a bearing 45 to pass freely therethrough. In the horizontal bend g I provide a hole 9 for the free passage of the screw bolt h projecting from the frame 0 at a point nearest to the bearing d.

The bar 9 must be so dimensioned that when applied to the frame its inner end 9 will be about in line with the inner face of the corresponding shoe and will, under no circumstances, obstruct the space between two opposite shoes. Since the shoes f vary in size according to the size of the locomotive for which they are designed, I provide the bar near its inner end with a cross groove or slot 9 serving as a socket for a member which acts as the support or clamp proper for said shoe. This member j is in form of a block or bar which in length may vary to correspond to the width of the shoe and which at its bottom is provided with a tongue j adapted to more or less snugly fit in the cross groove or slot 9 The member j is applied to the bar 9 so as to extend crosswise thereto and project upwardly therefrom. By screwing the bar 9 to the bearing frame by means of the screw bolts 72. and

suitable nuts the member j will be brought into engagement with the bottom of the corresponding shoe and by tightening the bar the shoe will be clamped in position. The member must be also so admeasured that its side facing the bearing 0 does not project into the bearing beyond the inner face of the shoe.

Since with various sizes of locomotives the screw bolts too vary somewhat in size, there being usually two sizes of screw bolts in practical use, I prefer to use a nut k for the said bolts which is adapted to fit any one of the two sizes of bolts. By using a single nut for both sizes of bolts employed the construction of my tool is greatly simplified and rendered universal in its use. It being a fact that the longer screw bolts used have a smaller thread than the shorter ones, I construct my nut in form of a sleeve which in length corresponds with the longest bolts used and which at its ends as at is and k is provided with inner thread varying in pitch according to the two sizes of the screw bolts used in practice on locomotives. The nut will thus fit both sizes of bolts. In Fig. 6 the nut is shown as applied to the longer bolt it having smaller thread and in Fig. 7 the same is shown as applied to a shorter bolt it with larger thread.

One of the advantages of my clamping device is that when applied to the hanging or lifted locomotive the same does not hinder any other repair work being performed on the locomotive on parts located at the bottom of the locomotive.

In view of the heavy weight of the shoes the clamping bar g, 9 may be reinforced by lateral flanges g as shown.

The mode of use of my tool is as follows:

Either when the locomotive for the first time is to be assembled with its wheels or when for the purposes of repair the locomotive is lifted from the Wheels, the driving shoes, after being placed in the bearings, are clamped in position by my new tool, using a wooden bar Z or the like placed between them to prevent their tilting inwardly while the clamps are applied (Fig. 2). The bar Z is removed from between the shoes 7 after the devices have been secured in position. The tool is so applied that the space between the shoes receiving a driving box is entirely clear so that on lowering the 10- comotive onto the wheels the bearing box will readily enter said space. Thereupon the clamps are removed and replaced by the binder bar 2' which is screwed in position as usual by means of the screw bolts h or h. The only additional work that may be necessary while exchanging the clamps for the binder bars is to hold the shoes from sliding downwardly. To prevent this the shoes may be held by hand or wedged in position in any suitable manner.

The construction of the clamping device may be modified in many different ways without departing from the spirit of my invention and for this reason I do not wish to restrict myself to any of the details described and shown.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A tool for facilitating the adjustment of the driving shoes of locomotives when assembling the locomotive and wheels, said tool including means for temporarily supporting said shoes in position while lowering the locomotive and engaging said driving box of the wheels into its bearing.

2. A tool for facilitating the adjustment of the driving shoes of locomotives when assembling the locomotive and wheels, said tool comprising a member adapted to be temporarily fiXed to the lower faces of the shoe bearing and the upper face of which is adapted to fit against the lower face of the bearing frame adjacent one side of a bearing and means on said member adapted to engage the driving shoe at the corresponding side of the bearing.

8. A tool for facilitating the adjustment of the driving shoes of locomotives comprise ing a member whose upper surface is shaped to conform with the lower surface of one side of the shoe bearing and which has openings for the passage of the bolts projecting from said bearing, means on said member adapted to engage the lower edge of a shoe openings for the free passage and means for clamping said member to said frame.

A. A tool for facilitating the adjustments of the driving shoes of locomotives comprising a member whose upper surface is shaped to conform with the lower surface of one side of the shoe bearing and which has of bolts projecting from said shoe bearing, a second member removably engaged in said first member and adapted to engage the lower edge of a driving shoe and means for clamping said first named member to said shoe bearing.

5. A tool comprising a member whose upper surface is shaped to conform with the lower surface of the shoe bearing of the locomotive frame and which has openings for the free passage of the bolts projecting from said frame, a second member removably engaged in said first member and adapted to engage the lower edge of a driving shoe and a sleeve shaped nut having difi'erently pitched inner threads at its ends adapted to work on the bolts projecting from said frame when of different sizes and serving for clamping said first named member in position.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL GUGGENBUEHLER. Witnesses:

JOHN A. MoCoLn, A. R. Baron. 

